Hand-held X-ray sensor with gesture-activated wake function

• US 10,149,659 B1
• Filed: 09/29/2017
• Issued: 12/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Varex Imaging Corporation
• Original Assignee: Varex Imaging Corporation
• Inventors: Schwartz, Rudiger, Allen, Maxwell
• Primary Examiner(s): Green, Yara B
• Application Number:
  US15/719,568
• Time in Patent Office: 438 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4233 using matrix detectors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4405 the apparatus being movable or portable, e.g. handheld or mounted on a trolley
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/508 for non-human patients
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/54 Control of apparatus or devices for radiation diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/56 Details of data transmission or power supply, e.g. use of slip rings
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/566 involving communication between diagnostic systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/651 for reducing power consumption by affecting camera operations, e.g. sleep mode, hibernation mode or power off of selective parts of the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/32 Transforming X-rays cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from X-rays H04N23/30; circuitry of SSIS for transforming X-rays into image signals H04N25/30

Abstract

An X-ray sensing apparatus includes a detector array configured to generate a plurality of signals in response to x-rays incident on the detector array during an exposure period; a high-clock logic device communicatively coupled to the detector array; a low-clock logic device communicatively coupled to the high-clock logic device; an accelerometer communicatively coupled to the low-clock logic device; and a processor communicatively coupled to the high-clock logic device. The low-clock logic device is configured to receive an acceleration signal from the accelerometer; determine that the acceleration signal corresponds to a wake gesture; and, in response to determining that the acceleration signal corresponds to the wake gesture, send a first power state change signal to the processor and a second power state change signal to the high-clock logic device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for changing a power state in a hand-held X-ray sensing apparatus including a processor, an accelerometer, a high-clock logic device, a low-clock logic device, and a detector array, the method comprising:

receiving an acceleration signal from the accelerometer;

determining with the low-clock logic device that the acceleration signal corresponds to a wake gesture; and

in response to determining that the acceleration signal corresponds to the wake gesture, sending, from the low-clock logic device, a first power state change signal to the processor and a second power state change signal to the high-clock logic device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first power state change signal comprises a wake signal that causes the processor to change from a lower-power sleep state to a higher-power active state.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein, in the higher-power active state, the processor activates at least one of a non-volatile memory associated with the processor and included in the hand-held X-ray sensor, and a wireless communication module associated with the processor and included in the hand-held X-ray sensor.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein, in the higher-power active state, the processor executes an application configured to receive image data from the high-clock logic device.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to determining that the acceleration signal corresponds to the wake gesture, causing the detector array to exit a stand-by state and enter a ready state in which image acquisition can be performed.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the second power state change signal causes the high-clock logic device to change from a power off state to a power on state.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising, in response to the high-clock logic device receiving a plurality of signals from the detector array while the high-clock logic device is in the power on state:

generating, with the high-clock logic device, a digital representation of an X-ray image based on the plurality of signals; and

transmitting the digital representation from the high-clock logic device to the processor while the processor is in a higher-power active state.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising, in response to receiving the digital representation from the high-clock logic device, generating with the processor a digital image based on the digital representation.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein causing the detector array to exit the stand-by state and enter the ready state comprises causing charge reading elements in the detector array to enter a high-power state in which electric charge generated by incident X-rays can be measured.

10. An X-ray sensing apparatus, comprising:

a detector array configured to generate a plurality of signals in response to x-rays incident on the detector array during an exposure period;

a high-clock logic device communicatively coupled to the detector array;

a low-clock logic device communicatively coupled to the high-clock logic device;

an accelerometer communicatively coupled to the low-clock logic device; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the high-clock logic device,

wherein the low-clock logic device is configured to;

receive an acceleration signal from the accelerometer;

determine that the acceleration signal corresponds to wake gesture; and

in response to determining that the acceleration signal corresponds to the wake gesture, send a first power state change signal to the processor and a second power state change signal to the high-clock logic device.

11. The X-ray sensing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the first power state change signal comprises a wake signal that causes the processor to change from a lower-power sleep state to a higher-power active state.

12. The X-ray sensing apparatus of claim 11, wherein, in the higher-power active state, the processor activates at least one of a non-volatile memory associated with the processor and included in the hand-held X-ray sensor, and a wireless communication module associated with the processor and included in the hand-held X-ray sensor.

13. The X-ray sensing apparatus of claim 11, wherein, in the higher-power active state, the processor executes an application configured to receive image data from the high-clock logic device.

14. The X-ray sensing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the detector array to exit a stand-by state and enter a ready state in which image acquisition can be performed.

15. The X-ray sensing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the second power state change signal causes the high-clock logic device to change from a power off state to a power on state.

16. The X-ray sensing apparatus of claim 15, wherein the high-clock logic device is configured to, in response to receiving a plurality of signals from the detector array while in the power on state:

generate a digital representation of an X-ray image based on the plurality of signals; and

transmit the digital representation to the processor while the processor is in a higher-power active state.

17. The X-ray sensing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the low-clock logic device and the high-clock logic device are included in a single integrated circuit chip.

18. The X-ray sensing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the acceleration signal comprises a notification from a processor included in the accelerometer that the acceleration signal corresponds to a wake gesture, and determining with the low-clock logic device that the acceleration signal corresponds to the wake gesture comprises receiving the notification.

19. The X-ray sensing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the acceleration signal comprises an analog or digital output from the accelerometer that is generated when the wake gesture is performed by a user, and determining with the low-clock logic device that the acceleration signal corresponds to the wake gesture comprises performing an algorithm with the low-clock logic device.

20. An X-ray sensing apparatus, comprising:

a processing means;

an image acquisition means, communicatively coupled to the processing means and a detector array, wherein

the detector array is configured to generate a plurality of signals in response to x-rays incident on the detector array during an exposure period, and

the image acquisition means is configured to generate a digital representation of an X-ray image based on the plurality of signals that is communicatively coupled to the detector array; and

an accelerometer communicatively coupled to the image acquisition means, wherein the image acquisition means is further configured to;

receive an acceleration signal from the accelerometer;

determine that the acceleration signal corresponds to a wake gesture; and

in response to determining that the acceleration signal corresponds to the wake gesture, send a first power state change signal to the processing means and a second power state change signal to the image acquisition means.